A few years ago Tex was diagnosed with MRSA. Happily, he was successfully treated and it did not spread to us humans.

While we were able to treat him with medicine applied directly to his little nose by dropper and via nebulization, and could clean his belongings either in the wash or wiped down with a strong chemical cleaner (then rinsed a lot before given back to him), it left a lot of things un-cleanable. My foray into researching this nasty bug told me, given the right conditions, it could live on surfaces for months. Months! I wondered: if itís there, how do I get MRSA off the walls? Out of the carpet? All those little places that it could hide?

I no longer recall the path it took me to get there, but I happened across some research articles that spoke of killing staph using certain wavelengths of light. Iím attaching the articles I read then and a newer one I just found.

And, yes, I do now own a light box that sends out a frightening amount of blue light.

Thank you for that information! I was just thinking about researching light options.

I read an article on how copper (or brass) doorknobs prevented the spread of bacteria including MRSA from contact.

Instead of throwing away the ugly brass house knobs I put them in my chinchilla building and on the front door. I have always used tea tree oil to spray down areas where I know an infected person has visited, but I don't like spraying it onto the walls. I think I will be using a light option instead from now on.

Just a few precautions since I have so many people come into my house to visit and look at the chinchillas. I'm shocked at how many admit to having had MRSA and being carriers AFTER they've handled the babies. Makes me paranoid.

I have always used tea tree oil to spray down areas where I know an infected person has visited

I know this is an older thread, and this wasn't the suggestion but I just want to remind any hedgie owners reading this that they should never consider using tea tree oil as a disinfectant under any circumstance if they have hedgies. Think of it like a deadly peanut allergy.

__________________April

Mom to Many Quilled OnesElla, Tiggy, Huff, Po, Kelen, Cedric, Kipper, Hector and Annabelle, you are always in our thoughts.